Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A form or representation, such as a knot or an ice-skating maneuver, that has the shape of the numeral 8.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The
shape consisting of twocircles orovals joined together at one point, resembling the numeral8 . - verb To move in a figure eight pattern.
- verb slang To engage in
mutual masturbation (meaning 2).
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a knot having the shape of the numeral 8; tied in a rope that has been passed through a hole or pulley and that prevents the rope from coming loose
- noun a skating figure that carves an 8 in the ice
Etymologies
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Examples
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reesetee commented on the word figure eight
In boating, this is a quick and convenient "stopper knot" that prevents a line from sliding out of sight. Even if jammed tightly against a block, it doesn't bind and can be undone easily--but because of this, it can also easily fall undone on its own.
January 9, 2008